As the tentacle entered subspace, it seemed to lose its target, probing around aimlessly.

"Hmm?" James Lone watched curiously, not in a hurry to leave.

It appeared the tentacle had no vision, and the creature outside couldn't see into subspace.

Gradually, more tentacles passed through the portal, writhing in subspace like a scene out of a nightmare, making one's skin crawl.

Winnie Morgan screamed, "Get it out! Now!"

Slap! James smacked her on the back, "Quiet!"

After a quick thought, James retrieved a steamroller from his personal space and flung it near the tentacles.

Winnie was dumbstruck. Where had the steamroller come from?

Sensing something, the tentacle creature lashed out, all its appendages coiling around the steamroller, constricting it like a snake and trying to drag it out.

Crunch! Crack! The outer shell of the steamroller groaned under the pressure, twisting and deforming, and the heavy iron roller screeched as it was squeezed, making James wince.

Yet he quickly realized the tentacle monster's pulling strength wasn't as formidable compared to its other dangerous capabilities. It couldn't move the multiple-ton steamroller.

James's eyes lit up with an idea.

Maybe he could actually capture this tentacle creature!

With that, he'd have a self-sustaining Qi source!

Vital Burst!

James seized the opportunity, unleashing all his power without hesitation.

500%!

His body blazed with energy, heightening by 20 centimeters and growing larger.

The air in subspace crackled and popped.

With every breath, it seemed as though all of subspace trembled with him.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Winnie Morgan gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at James Lone.

In an instant, this handsome man transformed into something godlike.

"Is this... another ability? Three abilities now? How many does he have?"

A long steel bar appeared in James's hand, and like a bolt of lightning, he marched forward, "You're dead!"

With all his might, James thrust the bar.

Thwack!

With the brute force of a 510-strength physique, the steel bar pierced through several tentacles and the steamroller's cabin, emerging on the other side like a hot knife through butter.

The tentacles visibly quivered, releasing their grip on the steamroller to retract.

But it was too late.

James wasn't about to let this opportunity slip.

Grabbing the ends of the steel bar, he twisted it into a loop, then dashed to the other side and repeated the process, winding the bar around like wire.

The tentacles were now tied to the steamroller.

James thrust more steel bars through, pinning several more tentacles to the steamroller.

Finally, the creature couldn't escape.

James heaved a sigh of relief and released his Vital Burst state, panting heavily.

Sustaining a 500% Vital Burst was still too taxing.

Half a minute later, the tentacle monster, unable to break free, squeezed its main body through the portal into subspace, its multiple eyes glaring at James with hatred.

Without hesitation, James opened a portal back home, carried Winnie Morgan through, and swiftly shut the door, trapping the monster in subspace.

Subspace taxes stamina. Let's see how long you can last!

As he landed, Shirley Inr Won and the others rushed over, elated:

"Master!" "You're finally back, Master!"

James hadn't returned for two days.

They had been terrified that something had happened to him.

Now, seeing him home, they were overjoyed, their fears melting away.

It was through this ordeal that they realized how essential James was to them.

The moment he returned, James sensed something was wrong.

The women were tense.

An additional person, Wot Andrew, was inside, with a gun trained on him.

Through Perception, James noted a mob, glowing red with hostility, climbing the stairwell.

He quickly pieced together what was happening, his eyes narrowing with menace:

"What happened? I'm gone two days, and they get rowdy?"

Seeing the mysterious blue portal, Wot Andrew, ever the shrewd elder, knew he'd stumbled upon a secret. Immediately, he pledged his loyalty:

"Mr. Lone, when I saw the mob heading up with weapons, I rushed to warn you."

Shirley Inr Won timidly added:

"Master, I let him in."

Just then, the mob noisily reached the 33rd floor.

They were beyond reason, fueled by their delusions and hunger. They banged on James's apartment door mercilessly:

"Shirley Inr Won, open up! We know you're in there!" "James Lone is dead. Surrender now!" "And you, Wot Andrew! You old bastard, you think we don't know you're aiding him, experimenting on us? We're gonna skin you alive!"

Wot turned pale, whispering, "This is bad, very bad."

Shirley and the other women, though, felt at ease.

They knew firsthand how powerful James was, and worst case, they could just leave through the portal.

Knowing he was back, their fears dissipated.

Newcomer Winnie Morgan was utterly bewildered.

She had no idea what was happening, just that James's group was surrounded by a mob of angry survivors.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire! she thought, on the verge of despair.

"Wh-what do we do?!"

Lulia Smith approached Winnie warmly:

"Winnie, you're here too? Don't worry. As long as the... Master is with us, we'll be fine."

Seeing Lulia, Winnie was shocked:

"Professor Smith, you're here, too..."

Lulia blushed in response.

Thud! Thud! Bang!

The pounding on the door continued relentlessly.

Outside, the mob grew bolder, more confident with each passing moment.

With James not emerging, it only confirmed their belief. He was dead.

"Come out, you sluts!" "James Lone is dead! Let's see how you handle this!" "Hahaha! Take them all down! Loot and pillage!"

James's eyes narrowed.

He had spent two days practicing his breathing technique and dealing with the tentacle monster at 500% Vital Burst. He was exhausted, wanting only to rest.

But now, this mess.

James was furious, and the consequences wouldn't be pretty.

"Looks like I was too soft!"

"'Byakuga n'!"

"Woof?" The husky barked, jumping into view.

James emotionlessly ordered:

"Go downstairs, stop them, and make sure no one escapes!"

"Woof woof woof!" 'Byakuga n' cheerfully bounded through the floors, eagerly diving downwards.

James, meanwhile, loaded his handgun and headed to the door.

Click.

He opened it.

The chaos paused for a moment as everyone turned to see who would emerge.

A familiar figure stepped out.

The crowd's blood ran cold, shivers crawling up their spines as fear gripped them.

"It's James Lone!" "He's alive!" "He has a gun!"

James stepped out into the hallway, causing everyone to stumble back, tripping over each other.

The rear of the crowd, unaware of the front, continued pushing forward, yelling:

"What? James Lone is here?" "He's alive?" "Who spread that rumor!?"

The mass pushed and pulled, chaos erupting, yet no one dared approach James.

James calmly disengaged the safety on his gun, asking:

"Who organized this?"

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, instinctively turning towards the bald man and his cohorts.

The bald man panicked, shouting:

"Don't be scared! He only has one gun; how many can he kill? There are so many of us! Once we rush in, there'll be food, water, women—"

Bang!

The man standing next to the bald leader took a bullet to the forehead, collapsing backward.

"Ah! Ah! Ahhh!" The bald man screamed hysterically, nearly wetting himself from fright.

James replied nonchalantly:

"Oh, sorry, I missed."

He raised his gun again.

Bang!